Glossary
Verbal persuasion about capability
What is verbal persuasion about capability?
Verbal persuasion about capability involves telling someone they can perform a desired behavior and addressing doubts about their ability. BCT Taxonomy v1 identifies it as technique 15.1.
Verbal persuasion and self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is a person’s belief that they can perform a particular task. Verbal persuasion addresses that belief through what another person says. A message about capability is different from supplying the skills, time, or practical support needed to act.
Bandura's 1977 theory places verbal persuasion alongside three other sources of efficacy information:
- mastery experience, or what a person learns from their own performance;
- vicarious experience, or what they observe others doing;
- and physiological states, or bodily information interpreted in judging capability.
Encouragement is therefore one possible input to confidence, not a replacement for experience or task competence.
How it differs from other support
The message concerns capability. Praise for past behavior, practical instruction, and watching someone demonstrate the task are different components, even if they occur in the same conversation.
Example
In a hypothetical algebra lesson, a learner says they cannot solve equations alone. The tutor replies: “You correctly solved the last three equations after choosing the first step yourself. I think you can solve this similar one too. Which step makes you doubt that?”
The capability message is grounded in observed progress and a comparable task. It gives the learner a reason to consider the encouragement, rather than only saying “You can do anything.” The tutor can then address the particular doubt. This illustrates the technique; it does not guarantee that the next answer will be correct or that confidence will change.
Why it matters
The technique describes a way to address confidence.